So Close
by Ifyousaysodearie
Summary: John is nervous for his first dance with Mary so Sherlock teaches him how to waltz. Inspired by the song 'So Close' by John Mclaughlin.


Mary had gone out to finish the final details of the wedding leaving John with Sherlock at 221B. John sat there silently listened to Sherlock composing the song for their first dance as husband and wife. Sighing as he felt nerves welling up inside of him. Sherlock had noticed the small sound of agitation coming from his friend. Looking him over Sherlock stopped playing the violin. "John I don't understand what you are so nervous about, it is only a dance." Sherlock interjected breaking the doctor out of his worried dazed.

"Sherlock, everyone's going to be watching Mary and I, it's going to be a spectacle. I haven't a clue how to even dance, I'm going to look like an idiot." John ran his hand flatly over his face with anxiety.

"Intelligence is rarely surmised by one's ability to waltz." Sherlock shook his head. "It's simple really."

John glared to the detective not at all comforted by his matter of fact tone. "Yeah but I've never learned how to dance…not properly. I just want this to go perfectly and I'm going to trip over my own two feet."

Sherlock rolled his eyes and put his violin down. "If it means all that much to you John I can teach you."

The doctor looked to his friend a bit puzzled, "You know how to dance?"

"Yes. Why is that surprising?" Sherlock looked a little insulted for a reason he was not even certain of.

John laughed lightly, "I don't know it just seems like something you would have deleted if you had ever learned it in the first place." John was smiling slightly at the thought of Sherlock all dressed to the nines and sweeping a woman in a beautiful gown across a ball room floor.

"Dancing can help one learn a great deal of agility and coordination, not to mention it can increase core strength when practiced." Sherlock tried to make it clear that he did not deem dancing as meaningless as he did the order of the planets in their solar system. "If you do not want my help a simple no would have sufficed."

John shook his head and looked to the detective. "No, I mean…no it's not that I don't want your help. I was just surprised, alright? I didn't mean anything by it." He offered a warm smile to Sherlock to let him know that he had not meant to insult or tease him.

"Alright," Sherlock nodded and looked to the floor for a moment. "Well then, stand up." He motioned for John to rise out of his seat.

"What right now?" John questioned even as he stood.

Sherlock rolled his eyes again. "It seems a good a time as any. The wedding is less than two weeks away and if you've never had any lessons then the sooner we start the better."

The doctor approached him and fidgeted a bit nervously still as he looked to meet Sherlock's eyes. "Right then, should we start with something basic?"

Sherlock nodded, some of his inky curls falling in front of his face. "The Box step is the best place to start. It is simple; imagine where your footing is to be a box." He took one of John's hands in his and guided the other to rest against his side. "Right now you are standing at the bottom corner of the box, now step forward…give it a good stride but don't over-do it." Sherlock instructed as he stepped backwards, mirroring the instructions he gave to John. "Now take your right foot and side step, move the other foot too meet it." Sherlock continued to explain as they moved slowly with his directions. "Good, now take a step backwards to the back of the box, side step and close that step."

Sherlock was smiling softly at John as they made their first box with-out any amount of hassle. "Now repeat, forward step…side…close. Back step…to the side and close that step." Sherlock had them repeat the box step once more.

John grinned gratefully; maybe this was a lot easier than he thought. "That's really a dance move?" He asked as they pair of them repeated it, starting to get some fluidity to their movements as they timed it correctly.

"Yes, mostly," Sherlock nodded. "Come on again, front…side step and close, back, to the side again and close." He wanted to make sure that John had this down before introducing quarter turns.

When John seemed comfortable Sherlock could not help but admire the smile that was on his friend's lips, seeing his nerves were disappearing from even learning this basic move. "Now, we add in the turns. For every forward step you are going to take a quarter turn. This simply means that you are going to turn ninety degrees to the right so that with each step you are facing a different wall of the room. Like so." He led and showed John a little less than smoothly how the transition was made.

John tripped for a moment but when they started to turn once more he seemed to be catching on quickly. "I think you're a natural." Sherlock complimented John as they continued to practice the very basics of the waltz in the living room they once shared.

Doctor Watson laughed under his breath, feeling clumsy compared to the elegant and effortless steps Sherlock was making. "I'll catch on quickly enough I think." He nodded in agreement.

It should have felt awkward, dancing like this without music in the rather cluttered flat, it did not though. Instead it seemed perfectly natural and comfortable and John could not help but be impressed in learning his longtime friend had a secret talent for ball room dancing.

"Now you lead John, it's more traditional for the man to do so especially at weddings." Sherlock relinquished control of their steps to his pupil.

John was able to take the lead easily enough. "This…this isn't bad no? I mean it seems a bit too simple."

Sherlock shook his head, "Simple is fine. It's a first dance not the Russian Ballet. We'll expand more on this but first get the steps down." He encouraged his friend to relax, letting him know that this simple bit of movement was more than elegant enough for his wedding.

Sherlock decided it was time to introduce music and he stepped away from John for a moment, easily finding his record of classical music that had 'Kunsler-Leben, Artist's life waltz for orchestra' by Strauss on it. Placing the needle against the vinyl and moving back towards John as the music started. "And Front step, side and close…" his voice sounding lively and enthused as John took to his instructions with less and less missteps.

Soon his words stopped as John's eyes met his. They were moving fluidly with the music, Sherlock felt a faint flush creeping across his cheeks when John broke their eye contact after several seconds.

John felt his heart fluttering and he didn't know what to make of it. He hadn't ever imagined something this silly or sweet to occur in the flat that had been reserved mainly for experiments and explosions. He had never imagined being this physically close to Sherlock. John was certain that this felt romantic, more romantic than it should have been. They were friends and he well…he was about to be married to Mary.

When he met Sherlock's eyes again he knew the unspoken emotions in that moment were mutual. There was a glint in the detective's eyes that John was not sure he had ever seen before. Something beyond friendship and admiration, his heart sank as he recognized the look as love.

The detective could see John deducing him for once, reading into his oceanic eyes that were betraying him as they continued to move with the music. They danced and did not speak but the tension grew and finally Sherlock could not take it. He retracted from his emotions and tried to make light of the situation. "I forgot I haven't shown you the best bit of ball room dancing yet." Sherlock laughed lightly as he started to twirl John without notice.

The doctor lost his footing, not expecting to be spun in the middle of trying to take a back step. Stumbling slightly and feeling himself about to fall as he tripped over the leg of his chair. Sherlock moved quickly, reflexes impeccable and fast. He caught John, one hand gripping around his forearm and the other resting in the small of the shorter man's back.

John released a small sound of surprise when he didn't hit the floor, looking back to Sherlock. The detective made no move to straighten them back up. Their faces were little less than a half a foot apart, a flighty small laugh leaving John's lips as his tongue traced across his bottom lip. "Thanks for that…for catching me I mean." John spoke softly.

Sherlock nodded, neither of them seeming to notice that their faces were slowly moving closer together. Also not noticing the sound of the door opening down stairs as the record was now playing white noise as the song ended. John was very focused on the feeling of Sherlock supporting him, seeming to concentrate on the cadence of his breath. Their eyes hadn't left one another's, wordlessly communicating a cavalcade of emotions. John swallowed as their lips were now less than an inch apart. Sherlock heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs, breaking him out of their daze as the sound of metal clicking, followed by the doorknob turning.

Mary was standing in the door way and Sherlock released him; letting him drop to the floor in a panic just before the door was opened. John collided with the floor and made a sound of surprise and pain as he fell to the hardwood.

Mary entered giving them a peculiar sort of look. John looked to the door way and swallowed, looking between his fiancé and back to his friend. "John, are you alright?" Mary asked approaching him, helping him up off of the floor.

John nodded and gave her a warm smile to show that there had been no harm to his person. "Fine, just…a bit clumsy I guess." He smoothed his clothing down, eyes flickering to Sherlock's face. "Sherlock was helping me learn a few steps for the wedding. I guess I need more lessons than I thought." John again let out a light nervous laugh.

Mary giggled and shook her head. "Oh, I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about. Just don't fall down at the wedding and we should be fine." She assured him as she turned to the kitchen placing the bags from her last bit of shopping down.

Sherlock and John exchanged a long silent look, both of them knowing that they had been interrupted only a moment before they were about to give in to something neither of them had been willing to admit that they wanted. John was leaning in for a kiss when he had been dropped, impulse and inexplicable longing would have over-ridden the part of himself that he had been denying. Sherlock meant more to him than he could ever express, he had apparently meant even more to him than John was willing to admit to himself.

Mary looked back at them as her phone buzzed. Reading the text and going to John kissing his cheek. "That's the tailor they want us to come in for any last minute adjustments. I'll go hail a taxi, grab your coat and let's go."

She left the flat and John once more looked to Sherlock. The detective turned away and went to his violin, not able to look at his friend as unfamiliar emotions surfaced inside of him. It was painful and he did not know why but he was angry with Mary for walking in when she had.

John went to grab his coat, looking back to Sherlock as he headed for the door. "Thank you…for the lesson. I…well at least now I won't muck up the first dance." John realized his voice sounded a bit hollow.

Sherlock merely nodded. "I'm always glad to help you John." His voice sounded more monotone than usual as he continued to look out the window to the street, seeing Mary manage to get a cab to pull over for her. "Mary is waiting." He added when John did not leave.

John sighed and nodded. "Right, got to go to the tailors," he spoke as casually as he could. "I'll see you after yeah? Maybe get a bit of dinner while Mary stays with the bridesmaids for their fittings."

Sherlock did not respond and John did not prod further. Instead he left, closing the door behind him knowing that as he did so that he was leaving behind an opportunity that he never considered before. Part of him realized that the lesson he had learned this afternoon was that he had experienced his first dance with the love of his life rather than his future wife.


End file.
